Retired teachers want their pensions

Former educators warn of staging protests outside K-P assembly and Bani Gala

PESHAWAR: Cash-strapped retired school and college teachers in Peshawar staged a protest on Tuesday, urging the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to restore their pensions.

Addressing a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club on Tuesday, Peshawar Public School and College (PPSC) former principal Jameel Khan said that around six weeks ago, their pensions were halted without any reason. As a result, former the teachers and non-teaching staff had been pushed towards starvation.

“Officials who had passed out from our schools include Dr Haider Ali, senior minister Shahram Tarakai, Mahmud Khan and Shakeel Khan — all of whom are influential in the provincial assembly, maybe they will listen to our cries,” he hoped.



Flanked by other retired teachers and other employees, Jameel said they were passing through the worst financial crunch, adding that their livelihood and medicines depend on the meagre pension they used to get.

Now, he said, they had to rush from pillar to post for that small cheque. He added that the past provincial government stopped a grant to PPSC in 2000. Moreover, the incumbent government, led by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had stopped pensions of its employees.



The former principal said they had rendered many sacrifices for the department, developing small schools into top educational institutions. The government, though, was rewarding them by compelling them to beg.

“Most of my retired colleagues, including myself, fall short of money every month, even to buy our medicines,” he said as he held back his tears, adding that they cannot opt for a job at their old age.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 1^st, 2017.